The Little Rose

Isabella POV

Luck must have been on my side, because not long after we walked into the pack house Orion was off, disappeared upstairs with Roisin in hand, Nullar following behind after a hesitated glance at me, almost everyone else followed behind. Almost.

“Hi! It’s great to meet you, Isabella! I knew you looked familiar, Luna is right, you look just like Celeste. You must be a relative of some sort.” The redhead who had been standing on the porch with the other leaders of the pack strode forward, a child in her arms and another toddling beside her. I had never been a fan of kids, they tended to be loud, smelly, and weak. The Night Walkers often brought in the children of their enemies, kids too young to remember what happened and raised in the House of Night as loyal servants.

I had been wondering since last night, when Orion had stated I was a Lycan, if that was what had happened to me. Had my father found me after killing my family and brought me in to raise me to be their personal killer? I no longer knew what reality was and what was fantasy. What I did know was that I wanted answers, and soon.

“The pleasure is all mine, Libby.” I muttered back, adjusting my backpack strap on my shoulder anxiously. I was not thrilled to be in the house of my enemy and needed to escape for couple of hours. I needed to feel the forest floor under my feet and the fading sun on my face. “I’m kind of tired after the day we’ve had, do you mind if I retire to my room?”

“Oh yes, of course! Follow me, I will show you the guest rooms and you can chose whichever one you want. Let me just get their sitter down here to grab them.” Libby said cheerfully. For a moment she looked off into space, mind linking, but soon enough she was back, looking at me with that same bright smile. “Alright, he’ll be here soon. Would you like to take a seat in the lounge while we wait?”  She asked as she motioned to the door to my left.

“No thank you, I’m fairly good with directions if you just want to tell me where to go? Can’t be too hard to find right?” I forced my lips to turn up into what I hoped was a pleasant smile but felt more like a grimace.

“Oh, well, yeah, they aren’t too hard to find. Second floor, to your left, the entire hall is open guest bedrooms. Pick whichever one you’d like.” Libby said as the toddler on the floor pulled his hand from her grasp and went running down the hallway that led behind the staircase. “Oh Lenox, no! Come back here mister!” Libby hollered after the retreating toddler whose red curls were bouncing on his head as he ran as fast as his little legs would carry him, squealing the entire time. “See you at dinner Isabella!” Libby called back to me as she ran after her son, while her daughter clapped and laughed, bouncing in her mothers’ arms.

I waved at her retreating form before climbing the staircase to the second floor and turning left, the opposite direction the others had gone. For a moment I debated on following them, maybe try to overhear what they talked about, but I needed out. I needed to be able to breathe easier.

Walking to the end of the hallway I choose the room farthest from the staircase, with windows facing the back lawn and forest beyond. Securing my backpack on my back, I locked the bedroom door and opened the window, jumping out to land on the patio, a soft whoosh of air as I fell the only sound I made. Years of training as an assassin meant that I was well versed in the art of moving with no sound.

Deciding walking would look less conspicuous than running, it took a little longer than I would have liked to reach the safety of the forests edge, but once I reached the shadows the dense canopy produced, I breathed a little easier. The air was different here than it was in Florida, thinner, fresher, crisp. It was a pleasant difference from the humid salt scented breeze of the south.

The forest floor was cast in dark shadows that stretched and grew as the sun faded over the horizon, the full moon beginning to take its spotlight in the night sky. Night was always my favorite time to be in nature. Most creatures were asleep, and the ones prowling did not want to encounter you anymore than you did them. It was perfect for an introvert like me.

I had grown up surrounded by supernatural beings, rarely having a moment of my own. Those rare moments though, they were spent in the forest. The scent of oak and pine filling my senses, and the harsh light of the sun lost among the canopy that protected me from UV rays. At night it was even more amazing to be here alone. Fireflies came out, blinking and floating through the air, giving reality another worldly feel.

I walked, enjoying the soft crunch of leaves and twinges under foot, not really knowing where I was going, but wanting to just stretch and get some fresh air pulsing through my body. Before long though, a new sound filled the air and my heart gave a small stutter; rushing water. There was a river, or creek nearby. Except, the further I walked into the dense woods, the splashing became a roar. A waterfall.

Following the sound of roaring water, I soon got my first glimpse of the beautiful oasis through the forest. It was not very tall, but the water fell in a wide, steady sheet into a glistening pool below, feeding into a river that rushed further down the mountain. It was perfect, and beautifully empty. Not a soul in sight.

Unclipping my backpack, I slid it to the ground and toed my shoes off, before stripping down to my underwear and walking slowly into the crisp, clear water. The cool temperature was refreshing after my short hike through the warm forest, though as the sun went down and the moon rose the cooler the night air got. I dove under the water, coming up gasping for air as the icy water stole my breath.

I floated there for a bit, thinking over the events of the past few days. I was not so sure anymore if I was still after Orion’s head, after all, new information had come to light. If I was in fact a Lycan, as Orion had suggested, then my father had not been my father, which meant he had lied to me my entire life, and if my Lycan Spirit was really being repressed by magic, then he’d also hidden a part of my self from me. The only reason I could produce as to why he would have done such a thing, was that he had acquired me much like the other children I had seen brought into the House of Night over the years. This in turn meant that my father could have in fact been my real parent’s killer.

Then there was Nullar. I was not sure what to think of him. I felt this unexplainable pull towards him, his scent drew me to him as well, and the way those eyes looked straight into my soul. When I had initiated our meeting, I hadn’t expected for the tables to flip, and I be drawn into his spell. The plan had been to get an invite to join him at the pack house and initiate myself into their group, but those few moments we spent together sent my senses and mind into such a flurry of nerves and excitement that I had not been able to focus and had to flee as soon as I was able.

After convincing myself that it had all been in my head, and concluding that I would attempt my plan again, I had seen the perfect opportunity in the girl coming out during dinner, alone, and it worked like a charm. Until he had come out, his scent invading my senses and turning my thoughts of vengeance instead to ones of silk sheets and long nights in bed, his dark as midnight skin pressed against my own.

“Queen Celeste?” A voice called out from the forests edge, surprising me so much that I almost sucked water into my lungs in my haste to dive under the water. I was not sure what was going on lately with my abilities, but I had not heard a single sound before the voice had called out into the night.

Once my body was under the water, I turned towards the way I had come, expecting to see someone there, but I there was no one. There was not a soul in the clearing besides me. Was I going crazy? Except, if I were hearing things why would I hear Orion’s sisters name being called instead of my own?

“Hello? Who’s there?” I demanded, my head the only part of my body above the water, though I was not sure what I thought that would do, the water was crystal clear, and the full moon was shining brightly down onto the lake.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I thought you were… well, never mind what I thought.” One moment a voice was speaking to me without a body in sight and the next there was a man standing at the waters edge, watching me with a shy smile, his cheeks blushing as he attempted to look anywhere except right at me. He wasn’t anything exceptional, your average werewolf warrior build, with curly brown hair and mahogany-colored eyes. “Your hair looks just like my queens but since you are not her; I’ll move on. Have a nice swim.” With that he turned to leave, but both of us were drawn to a stop when we heard a high-pitched scream vibrate through the forest.

The mystery guys eyes flew to mine, wide in shock. “Did you hear that to?” He asked even as I strode from the water, no longer concerned with nudity when it sounded like a woman was being murdered not too far from us.

“Yeah, I heard it. Sounded like a woman.” I did not bother to say anything else before shifting. Not only would my wolf form get me there faster, but it was also better for fighting and I didn’t have to waste time on pulling on my clothes. Apparently, the mystery guy got the same idea, because when I glanced behind me, he was fully shifted, and though I only got a glimpse before he rocketed off into the dark, I was astonished to see he looked so much like me. I’d never seen another wolf who bore such a striking resemblance to me. Sparkling white with silver laced through my fur, a black crescent moon on my forehead, the only differences between my own wolf and his had been that on his forehead he had a black patch in the shape of a lightening bolt, and his eyes were glowing white, like Orion’s did when he shifted.

I took off after him, not that I needed to follow him, the scream we had heard before had not been the only one, the woman was screaming consistently, and while the sound was bone chilling, it also brought good news, that she was still alive, and we had time to get to her. The Lycan in front of me slammed on his breaks so fast I almost face planted with his ass, but I jumped to the side just in time to avoid colliding with him. The sight that had brought him to a stand still was Roisin, lying on the ground with one arm pulled behind her back and twisted to the side in a way that clearly said it was broken.

Shifting back, I ran to her side, pushing her hair out of her face, which was drenched in tears as she sobbed and cried. “Roisin, what’s going on? Who did this to you?”

“Isa… Isabella… please… help me.” She whispered, groaning, and whimpering anytime I touched her. I was not sure what to do besides going to get help. What had happened to her? Why was she here alone?

“Okay Roisin, I’ll go get help, but stay here.” I muttered back, trying to wipe the tears from her face, not that it did any good, they had not stopped pouring from her eyes, and I was not sure they would anytime soon. But at my words, her gaze widened, and she attempted to shake her head no, wincing from pain at the effort.

“Please… please don’t… leave me.” Roisin whispered, her ocean-colored eyes swimming with tears, begging me not to go.

“I can’t help you if I can’t get you help Roisin, and you need it.” Before I could continue, the broken arm behind her snapped forward, and she flew to her back, as if an unseen force were throwing her. Roisin’s left arm pulled up, stretching over her head until an audible pop signaled her shoulder had been yanked out of socket… by her own force. Her screams pierced through the quiet of the night and I had never felt more defenseless in my life.

“She’s shifting.” I heard behind me; I had forgotten the mysterious Lycan was there with us.

“What do you mean?” I demanded of him, twisting to stare at him while he moved closer, his gaze focused on Roisin.

“She’s shifting, though she seems a little old to be doing so for the first time. Was she turned in the last month?” I guess my blinking up at him gave him all the answer he needed because he rolled his eyes and motioned at Roisin before continuing. “She is clearly shifting into her wolf form for the first time, and since she looks older than a teenager, I assume she was changed, and it must have been done in the past month because the first shift happens under the first full moon after being turned.”

“But she’s a Siren, not a wolf.” I stated, before my attention was pulled back to Roisin, who’s right arm was now bending and contorting again, ripping screams and moans from her lips. “It’ll be okay Roisin, I’m going to get Orion, okay? I’m going to get Orion, maybe he can make it better.”

“No one will be able to make this better. Are you sure she’s a Siren? I mean, I’ve never personally met a hybrid, but I have heard stories of them.” He was looking at Roisin as if she were a science experiment and I was not exceedingly comfortable with leaving a stranger alone with Roisin. But she needed help.

“Do you mind going to get her mate? Orion Slade is his name; he’s staying with his sister Luna and her mate Vespian. I’m sure he’s worried about her.” Roisin cried out again as one of her legs began to pull to the side uncomfortably.

“I know who they are, they are siblings to my queen. Which means that if she is Orion’s mate, then…” He seemed to pale for a moment before snapping to attention and stumbling back. “Odin’s mate, s**t. Yeah, I’ll go get him, you just… do whatever you are doing!”  With that he shifted and was off, flying through the forest in the direction of what I assumed was the pack house. But as Roisin’s screams filled the night sky again, and the full moons silvery light shown down on us through small cracks in the canopy above, I prayed to the moon goddess that he would get here soon.